I’ve been curious about faith all my life. What is faith? Is it the same as religion? How about spirituality? Belief? How does it develop? What events shape it?

I hope you’ll join me in the discussion with your own stories and insights. I’ll publish excerpts with your permission (first names only, or no name if you wish), sharing the pieces that together that make us One.

I open this blog with some initial responses to three questions. And I invite you to join in the dialogue with the original three and with new questions. Does our Faith Journey matter? How does it help others? How does it help us? What about Islam? 9/11? Remembered religious wars? Forgotten ones?

You might find this pie chart at right illuminating. I did.

The song Imagine by John Lennon became a text for me during 9/11, a song my undergraduate students tired of hearing, the message not searing into their young souls as it did mine…

Imagine there’s no countriesIt isn’t hard to doNothing to kill or die forAnd no religion tooImagine all the peopleLiving life in peace…You may say I’m a dreamerBut I’m not the only oneI hope someday you’ll join usAnd the world will be as one

The beginning story of my own faith journey is told in my forthcoming book, Saving Faith. It continues as I listen to the stories others tell, to see the puzzled look on their faces when I ask about their faith journey, the peaceful smile as they recall moments that brought them to their knees or stood them up and moved them forward. These are the fodder of life, of my life. These are the things so many of us remember as we lay breathing our last. Moments to contemplate and learn from.

Join me as the stories come to light from the light.

The Three Questions:
1. What is a highlight for you of your faith journey?
2. Do you currently attend church?
3. Why?
As you read the some initial responses and stories, consider adding your own.